2 men heading to trial in Michigan for deadly fungal meningitis outbreak
(CBS DETROIT) - Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that two men who have been charged for a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people, 11 in Michigan, will stand trial in Livingston County.
This comes after the state Supreme Court returned its cases to Livingston County Circuit Court. Barry Cadden, 56, and Glenn Chin , 54, each face 11 counts of second-degree murder.
Judge Michael P. Hatty denied motions from the two men seeking a Bill of Particulars to be produced by the People. A Bill of Particulars is a detailed, formal, written statement of charges or claims by a plaintiff or the prosecutor given upon the defendant's formal request to the court for more detailed information.
Hatty also denied Cadden's motion to suppress computer evidence seized by law enforcement after the execution of Federal Search warrants at the New England Compounding Company.
Cadden was the owner of New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Chin worked as the supervising pharmacist.
Eleven patients at the Michigan Pain Specialists Clinic (MPS) died after they were injected with the steroid, methylprednisolone, which was compounded and produced at NECC.
Those 11 patients are:
- Donna Kruzich
- Paula Brent
- Lyn Laperriere
- Mary Plettl
- Gayle Gibson
- Patricia Malafouris
- Emma Todd
- Jennie Barth
- Ruth Madouse
- Karina Baxter
"Eleven Michiganders tragically died as a result of a lack of concern for patient safety," said Nessel. "My department looks forward in taking the next steps to seek justice for the victims and their families."
The Department of Attorney General alleges that the defendants disregarded sterility procedures in the compounding of sterile medications and created fraudulent cleaning records and falsified scientific testing results.
Both cases are scheduled for a status conference at 8:30 a.m. on April 14, 2023.